Joint analysis of JUICE and Europa Clipper tracking data to study the Jovian system ephemerides and dissipative parameters

¹ Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, 47121 Forlì (FC), Italy
e-mail: andrea.magnanini3@unibo.it
² Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca Industriale Aerospaziale, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, 47121 Forlì (FC), Italy
³ IMCCE, Observatoire de Paris, PSL Research University, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Lille 1, Paris, France
⁴ NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
⁵ Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
⁶ Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, Rome, Italy

Received: 31 July 2023
Accepted: 4 March 2024

Abstract

Context. Jupiter and its moons form a complex dynamical system that includes several coupling dynamics at different frequencies. In particular the Laplace resonance is fundamental to maintaining the energy dissipation that sustain Io’s volcanic activity and Europa’s subsurface ocean; studying its stability is thus crucial for characterizing the potential habitability of these moons. The origin and evolution of the Laplace resonance is driven by the strong tidal interactions between Jupiter and its Galilean moons, and the future planetary exploration missions JUICE and Europa Clipper could bring new light to this unsolved mechanism. During the Jupiter tours of both missions and JUICE’s Ganymede orbital phase, two-way radiometric range and Doppler data will be acquired between Earth ground stations and the spacecraft, which will be processed to recover the static and time-varying gravity field of the moons. Moreover, range and Doppler data will improve the orbit accuracy of the moons, providing precise measurements of Jupiter’s tidal parameters.

Aims. This work presents a covariance analysis of the joint orbit determination of JUICE and Europa Clipper, aimed at quantifying the expected uncertainties on the main parameters that characterize the dynamics of the Jupiter system.

Methods. We simulated radio science data from JUICE and Clipper missions under conservative noise assumptions, using a multi-arc approach to estimate the ephemerides and dissipation in the system.

Results. Even though JUICE and Europa Clipper will not perform flybys of Io, the strong coupling with Europa and Ganymede will allow an improvement of our knowledge of the Jupiter-Io dissipation parameters thanks to JUICE and Europa Clipper radiometric data. Moreover, the expected uncertainty in Jupiter’s dissipation at the frequency of Callisto could unveil a potential resonance locking mechanism between Jupiter and Callisto.